here is what you guys want, get ready to baby sit the thing.

http://www.howarddill.com/

Was talking to the Cape's record holder at plugfest today. He doesn't have time to do it this year.

Should do one someday
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Never pulled my brocolli plants at the end of last season.Brand new plants are growing out of the bases of the old plants and they already have buds.Unreal.

Last year I rented a plot at the Community Gardens in town, Had some successes and some not so successes. pretty good deal in town here if you can get one. When I dug in and cleared everything because it was so overgrown I found a pretty well established Herb Garden there

Looking forward to trying a few new things this year...

Did really well with Peppers, Summer Squash, Zucchini and Italian Green Beans were Good.

Peas, Tomatos, Cucumbers, Spinach and Corn were just OK.

Onions, Scallions, Carrots, Eggplant were non-existent

This year I'm going to lose the Onions, Scallions, and Carrots and Add Butternut Squash, Lettuce, and Bok Choi....may throw in some watermelons too....

I grow a few things watermelons,Pumkins nothing big just god for the Kids to carve in the fall.

This is the stuff you put into the hole first.

All you potential pumpkins growers should join the New England Giant Pumpkin Growers Association. I did years ago and it was the best source for info anyone could hope for. If you pay your dues ($20.00) early (January) you automatically get in the mail a large sampling of donated seeds from all the growers who belong to this group. In this group are the growers of all growers of the largest pumpkins. Some of the seeds I received last year were from fruit that weighed in at better than 1500#'s. I think I got about 10 seeds packets in all. I would query the groups web site and go from the there. If you buy seeds from a private supllier, such as the one in Nova Scotia, Dill's Atlantic Giant Pumpkin Seeds, you will pay anywhere from $5.00 a seed up to $70.00 or $80.00 a seed, so joining my group is well worth it. Thier prices are fair for what they sell, and that is the best seeds anywhere, from the largest pumpkins grown in the world, year after year. Woody Lancaster is the treasurer and the membership chair of the NEGPGA. Query the web site and start in. I might have a few seeds around I could part with. Does anyone here have any idea how to polinate your own seeds? I can't say enough about the Danny Dill family though.

Hey Frank I should have introduced you to the guy that grew the giant on C C. You could have compared notes. I just never thought of it. I can be pretty dense sometimes. His dad was the guy that had the tinker toy spinner and plugs,"Happy as a clam with a rod in my hand" guy.

New England Giant Pumpkin Growers Association :)

Yep, gotta get yer gardens ready for DOOMSDAY

have you seen that new show Doomsday Preppers?
now there is another called Doomsday Bunkers

nothing like growing your own

forget that genetically modified seed crap:smash::devil2:

read about the 12/21/12 as being inaccurate because the Mayan Calendar
did not account for leap years (over the course of 5000 years) so that this event....
already passed by 7 months ago....

this doesn't mean however that we can't have a society break down over fuel
shortages resulting in food shortages

Have had a garden for 40 years. Eggplant are tough here in New England. The only year I did well with them was one year I put down black plastic around them.

peas
 

the trick with peas is timing.....it's all about the timing imho

that and the concept of... the lunar influence and it's rythm
it comes in sets of three......... similar to waves
the first two (from the day of the "new moon")
to the full moon (waxing)...those two quarters are the "BIG PUSH Up"
then from the full moon waning back down to THE half "the pull" but
with extra moon light....available

THE FOURTH QUARTER where the moon still waning goes back to skinniest
that's the week or so that you cultivate and get rid of weeds ect.
~
So when you take advantage of that rythm you gain an edge.....
ESPECIALLY 7 days before the full moon because that's the PEAK
germination week with increasing hydroscopic presssure
forcing moisture into seed
~
for peas this year and you always shoot for st paddy's day !
is actually 8,9 and tenth moon in "libra" (for flowers)

bone meal is wicked good for flowers

but the main trick with PEAS i've found (i grow waves of them)
is that you have to water them AT LEAST twice a day heavy
then they go gangbusters.
i'll plant twice this week end clearing away snow is just fine !!!!
and on the 19th 20th and 21 rst
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c6...nob1/march.png
the wave: they like to planted in MASS meaning many
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c6...GARDEN2004.jpg

Really, you'd plant peas this early in the year....hmmmm, I would have thought it was way to early for that.

I've read that leaf vegetables like Lettuce and Spinach are planted early as well...is it to early for them? I was thinking 1st couple of weeks in april for those

Have had a garden for 40 years. Eggplant are tough here in New England. The only year I did well with them was one year I put down black plastic around them.


Never had a good eggPlant , right behind you Kev

Ten years ago, Frank sent me some seeds from one of his own prizes that produced a 400# in my sister's patch before it blew out. She doesn't do it anymore as it was on a remote property. My job was primarily soil prep... which included getting the seaweed, mostly kelp, rinsing out "some" of the salt, tranporting it to the patch and digging it into the mix. I could not get over how much work went into soil prep and ongoing maintenence... Do not overlook access for water and getting a vehicle close.

I'm pretty sure I'm giving up the quest for eggplant this year....peas are on my "To Do" list though and Raven has my curiosity going on his last post.

I LOVE Fresh Peas......man they are good...

Peas like cold feet.

I did an all white eggplant called Ghostbuster one year that did well...

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curiosity planted the pea -lol

nah them peas will push up snow ... doesnt phasem

certain lettuce like bibs (ya know the thick leaved varieties)
can be sown early or you can selectively buy
the hydroponic lettuces and replant the roots that come with them
each week....harvesting an occasional outside leaf or two
same thing with scallions cut an inch of white stem off the scallion
and soak it in water to regrow the tips then plant them in 4 inch pots
like so:
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c6...scallions2.jpg

oh yeah be careful of the crown

that being: the above ground line
make sure it's at the right depth meaning exact

to low, it may rot or not grow soon
the plant has to sense the light
to "turn on"

you can put a white five gallon bucket over it
drill a hole in the bottom to let out the heat
if left in full sunlight
water well

pick a sunnier spot that reflects sunshine
off the house and leavem in pots if ya want
for awhile ..........or until may 15th or so

caution! some might be hot
 

as i was searching for seeds (amazon)
i found one add to be kinda funny :)
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c6...nob1/seeds.png

this year i still hAVE 2 feet of snow to melt

I'd like to start a massive herb garden this year. Some hardier plants (thyme, rosemary, chives) will get planted in about two weeks, then put in the more fragile ones late April/ early May (basil, tarragon, cilantro, parsley, etc etc)...

Any planting tips? Fertilizer OK to use? Not going to start from seed- so much simpler to start with established plants. For herbs is it just as simple as plant them in some potting soil and let them go?

Oregano, Thyme, Sage, and Chives will come back year after year so place them where you want them in your garden. Rosemary will die off during the winter around these parts....they are perrenial in other locations but not up around here....you can always dig them up and pot them over the winter in your house and replant in the spring.

Basil will last a few weeks but things like Cilantro and Parsely will bolt in the heat...so you may want to stagger the planting times so you have it more readily available.

If you are going to plant Mints of any kind be careful....they will over take a garden over the years.

Most herbs are weeds and don't need much for them to grow....they will take on there owm....maybe throw down a little fertilizer for when you plant them but after that you should be good.

I'm no expert but this is what I've been seeing/reading the past couple of years.

Going to rototil the garden this coming weekend and get the Peas and lettuce going next week.

If you want me to come by and run the rototiller through your garden just let me know...I'lll take a ride over and knock it out for you....as long as there are a couple of Frosties available :hee:

I'm pretty good with herbs (probably because they're so easy) but not so much with veggies. Couple things to supplement your post from stuff I've seen/read and experienced from my mother-in-law's garden...

Rosemary, if well established, can winter over in the lower parts of MA. Two winters ago (before I bought a house), we had two rosemary plants keep nice and green throughout the winter. Just make sure to wrap them and dig out the heavy snow.

Chives and mint will *both* take over a garden over a couple years. Mint is much much worse but chives can be a pain too. The chives go to seed aggressively that even having them close to your garden will cause some rebel intrusion. The big concern with mint are the runners. I've had nice tall mint stalks fall over and send roots all in the course of a couple weeks. Mint is also a sneaky bastard an will send out shoots just under the soil surface and pop back up over a foot away. For chives and mint, I'd recommend keeping them in containers on a deck and well away from your main garden.

For sage (and maybe this is just me), it seems to only have a 3-4 year useful life. What I mean is that as the plant matures, it seems to lose some (if not most) of its culinary appeal and the leaves start to bitter. This might be isolated to the sage variety I used.

For basil, I find pinching the flower buds as soon as they pop up really extends the growing season. Also a high-nitrogen low-potassium fertilizer coupled with pinching the off flower buds has really helped me extend the growing season for basil. Come mid-summer, I try and put some basil in mostly-shade areas and that seems to extend the useful season as well.

Cilantro... I don't know. Seems by early-July it always goes to seed and dies off on me. We get tons of fresh coriander to make chili ans sauces with, but I'd love some help here as we love using fresh cilantro in our cooking.

Sorry about the huge wall of text... just last night I sat down and started planning out the flower beds and garden for our new house. Quite overwhelming looking at a completely stripped yard and trying to come up with a plan.

Christ, I feel a little bit like Raven with this post.

i just finished my first coat of paint (stain) on my new starting area
half hoop house...32 inches wide by 16 feet long... with another 16 inch
shelf behind me for flats ...the floor will be movable very large pots
i'll have tomatoes out there TODAY

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c6...ob1/set-up.png

Does pulling the Flowering stalks on the Chives before they go to seed help to keep them from Spreading? I have about a dozen Chive plants growing in my herb garden and Do notice some spread....but I just rip out the new plants when I see them.

those chive tops just open and drop their seeds in place
instead of ripping them out ....pot them up and plant them
where you have bug problems like ants or flies around the trash area.
or dry the seeds and send some to me :) -or
carry them around when traveling and sprinkle a few here and there.

LOL Johnny Chiveseed

Pinch the buds just like I suggested with the basil. The purple flowers are pretty but don't last long and I'd rather pinch them.

With the chives, they send up a stem that looks different from the rest of the plant - a little thicker, firmer and dense. That's where the buds come from and each bud will drop a couple dozen seeds. I let them grow until a little before I think they are ready to open and then cut the stalk. Frankly, it'll get to the point where you'll have 5-10 to pinch off every couple days. I usually get lazy and just rip a few plants out. We don't use *that* much chives anyway.